From the Principal

Anne Hastings – Principal

Now that Ma Nishma is online we are able to see the statistics of how many people read our articles each week. This year I’ve noticed that the Primary page has usually just a few more ‘hits’ than the Principal’s page, with each around the mid 300s, and I’ve been wondering what might increase our hits and maybe even reverse the order! Well, last week it happened. With over 500 hits to the Principal’s page I momentarily achieved this goal but I’m not sure that it can be sustained without your help. I can’t talk about retirement every week (nor would I want to), but I’d love you to encourage other parents to read our Ma Nishma, which is an amazing record of the breadth, vibrancy and dynamism of our school. Keeping up-to-date with what is about to happen, and seeing and reading about what has happened in the recent past, also helps keeping our community connected.

A tip

If you really liked the old version of Ma Nishma where the newsletter was a pdf document, you can achieve the same outcome with the online version, by beginning the process of printing it (without actually pressing the final print button).

Staff news

At the end of Term 1 we say a temporary farewell to Martin Rembson, Business Studies and HSIE teacher and Head of Rabin. Martin is going on leave for the next three terms to spend time with his family in Sweden and Europe. We wish Martin all the very best for his leave and look forward to his rejoining the Emanuel family at the beginning of next year.

We are pleased that Kate Geoghegan will be returning from maternity leave next term to teach Martin’s classes. Adam Ezekiel will be our Acting Head of Rabin during this time.

High School Library

As you know we are planning to demolish this building to construct a new, three-storey multi-function building with classrooms, a commercial kitchen, MakerSpace and Jewish History Centre. This will then allow us to remove the X Block demountable building and provide more playground space for our students.

In preparation for this the High School Library will move to the top level of the Brender Moss Building over the break. We will close its doors on Wednesday afternoon of this coming week at 5 pm so we can begin the move. Any book borrowing will need to happen before then (and is encouraged!). We look forward to returning at the beginning of next term to see our Library in its new, temporary space while we are in construction phase. We plan to begin demolition and construction later in Term 2. 

 Jazz on the Hill

We are very grateful to everyone who helped make last Sunday’s Jazz on the Hill such an amazing event.

Our Year 11 Hospitality students catered for the event, under the supervision of their teacher Lara Ephron, our High School volunteers helped with the various Year K-6 supervised activities and teachers supervised these activities, David Gwilliam and Ben Marshall and all our brilliant student and staff musicians entertained with fantastic music, and our Maintenance staff helped with the stage and other equipment needed on the day. A special thanks goes to Sonia Newell who did the overall organisation for the event, along with her team of assistants, Isabelle Anne, Deborah Beder and other staff members.

In particular, we thank our performers, Genevieve, David and Michelle Goldman, the Intermediate Jazz Ensemble A, Advanced Jazz Ensemble, Senior Stage band, our alumni group ’33 Degrees’ and the Staff Jazz Ensemble who provided such entertaining performances. Those who came along for the afternoon really enjoyed the whole event, in perfect weather in our beautiful setting on the hill.

Student success

Mazal tov to:

• Jared Elbourne (Year 10) and Gabriella Goodridge (Year 9) who won gold in the AICES Swimming Carnival this week (Jared for the 50m breastroke and Gabriella for the 50m freestyle).
• Danielle Rutstein, who competed at the Australian Athletics Championships (Nationals) in Homebush this week. Danielle competed in High Jump and finished in 7^thplace out of 14 with a jump of 1.55m.

 Coming up

• Year 10 Three-way learning conversations (previously Parent/Student/Teacher meetings) 3 April, 4:00 – 8:00 pm
• Night of Science and Wonder, the Year 10 Science Showcase, Thursday 6 April, 4 – 6 pm
• Last day of Term 1, Friday 7 April
• First day of Term 2 for students, Thursday 27 April – students return in winter uniform
• Breakfast with Emanuel, Wednesday 17 May, 7:30 am the Little Space at Bondi Junction
• Year 7 Study Skills Parents and Students evening, Tuesday 23 May, 6 pm
• Breakfast with Emanuel, Wednesday 24 May, 7:30 am, PwC Barangaroo

Quote of the week

‘Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.’ [Jim Rohn]

Best wishes for a restful and reinvigorating weekend.

Shabbat Shalom

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

The Calling

This week we begin a new book of the Torah, /ויקרא VaYikra. Its name derives from its first word: -ויקרא אל משה וידבר ה’ אליו ‘The Lord called (VaYikra) to Moshe and spoke to him’.

With these introductory words we are reminded of the first divine calling experienced by Moshe in the book of Shemot: ויקרא אליו אלוהים מתוך הסנה ויאמר משה משה ויאמר הנני – ‘’God called (VaYikra) to Moshe from the midst of the (burning) bush, ‘Moshe, Moshe’, and he responded “I am present.”

To hear the calling is to be present.

Moshe who had been present as the Israelites leader through the Exodus, the Sinaitic revelation/receiving of the Torah and the just completed construction of the Mishkan, signifying the presence of God within Israel, now calls upon the people to make themselves present.

Moshe says to the people, immediately following God’s call to him: ‘When any of you present an offering to the Lord’. More precisely, however, these words read: ‘When any of you present of yourself an offering to the Lord’. Responding to the divine call requires a dedication and sacrifice of self.

Recently I was discussing with a student how she might mobilise her peers in empowering an Ethiopian community in Israel which she visited while on Chavayah. After sharing a variety of ideas requiring much personal commitment and effort, I asked if this might be overwhelming for her, considering her academic load and responsibilities. With a sense of passion and purpose she responded: “Rabbi Siegel, this is what I love to do”.

Each of us has a calling if we are present to its voice. It is through the “offering” of self that we are blessed with personal fulfillment.

Our Jewish tradition presents God calling upon the first human (Adam) with the words:

ויקרא ה’ אלוהים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה -“God called (VaYikra) to Adam, saying to him:

“Where are you?’ ”

Not being present we miss our calling and the authentic and promising self we might be.

        The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.

                             Fabienne Fredrickson

Devar Torah

Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 9

Parashah VaYikra

This week’s parashah is called VaYikra and begins the third book of the Torah, of the same name. In it, God lists potential offerings and sacrifices that the Israelites can bring before Him. A lot of the items that God requests are ‘burnt offerings’ such as bulls or goats or turtledoves or pigeons, which the offerer would sacrifice before Him. Most people these days would be extremely against these rituals because of the method in which animals are treated, so I will now present some issues that I believe this parashah raises: animal cruelty and how it’s still found today, ancient rituals and sacrifices of humans of a similar nature and what the people in VaYikra got out of doing it.

So, onto the first point, animal cruelty and how it’s still prevalent today. In VaYikra, the Israelites were expected to kill the animals in the Tabernacle and burn them. So how is it still prevalent? Well, most people wouldn’t go to that extreme, but there are small things we do that could potentially be considered indirect animal cruelty. Things like littering and polluting. While we’ve probably heard 50 million times that this causes global warming, it also causes a lot of other damage. Due to global warming caused by us, Antarctic animals are dying out from the melting ice and warmer temperatures in and out of the water. Garbage that we drop on the ground is making its way into oceans, suffocating the animals which swallow them.

Another way that animals are being cruelly treated is by farmers. Farmers farm (obviously) in mass. The amount of animals that are killed at once is so great that it’s almost impossible to reproduce quickly enough. Slaughterhouses are built and masses of animals are dead within minutes. In Science last year, we watched a documentary on how the meat for your burger and chicken nuggets are made. They basically kill the animal by knocking it out and then grinding it up. The worst part is that for the nuggets they were using newly born chicks.

A way to help stop this cruelty is to eat kosher meat, if you do eat meat. No, I’m not saying to become kosher, but the way the animals are farmed and slaughtered is much better than the farms I just spoke about. If you don’t want to buy kosher meat, there is a lady named Temple Grandin who found a way to slaughter cows, so the cow isn’t apprehensive and doesn’t feel pain, just like the kosher way.

One other problem with some farms is that the animals are kept in cages, so then they start losing body parts and there is a lack of growth. So when you next need to buy eggs from Coles, buy free range. And when it comes to meat, if you don’t follow the kosher meat thing I spoke about earlier, try to make sure the meat you buy is grass fed, not corn fed, because cows are causing climate change since corn makes them gassy.

While I’m assuming most of you think that the sacrifices of animals in VaYikra are horrible, considering today’s perspective, in some cultures sacrifices were an honour. In many Central American cultures, such as the Mayans, the Incas and the Aztecs, human sacrifice was very common. These people were burnt alive: young children, albinos, old people. Practically any “special” kind of person was burnt with “great honour”. So is it wrong if their mindframe is fine, and it’s for good intentions? Also, if you take Elective History (which you all should by the way), we learn about this man called the Tolland Man. He was a religious sacrifice. All of these people were living and breathing, but they sacrificed themselves for a god of some kind. So is there anything wrong with sacrifices if they are for good intentions?

I believe a sacrifice is something that has to mean a lot to you. Biblical people were doing it to ‘please’ God. Is there a reason to engage today in practices that has similar outcomes for that which is being sacrificed?

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary School

Weekly Torah Portion:

Parashah ויקרא VaYikra Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26.

 Leviticus, the third book of the Torah, was named after לווים Levites and the tribe of Levi. It is a guidebook for the כהנים Kohanim (Priests) and the Levites (members of the tribe of Levi) who were responsible for overseeing the Mishkan and facilitating the worship of the ancient Israelites. VaYikra describes the details of the various offerings and sacrifices and is concerned with the ritual laws and the sacrificial cult, with an emphasis upon purity and holiness. Parashat VaYikra introduces the main theme of the book, the sacrifices. The Hebrew word for sacrifice is קרבן korban means ‘draw near’ and is connected to the word קרוב karov meaning close. One of the purposes of the sacrifices was to bring the Israelites closer to God.

Family Discussion

Sacrifices were an important part of the ritual life of the ancient Israelites.

• Does your family have any special rituals? What are they and why are they important?
• Share your favourite Jewish ritual and why you like it.

Hebrew Word of the Week: סדר Seder – Order

As we approach Pesach it seems appropriate to reflect on the word central to our celebrations – the סדר Seder. סדר Seder means ‘order’

סדר – Seder: the Pesach meal. There are 15 steps and a set order to the Seder

סדור – Siddur: our prayerbook. Our prayers are organised into a set order

אני בסדר – Ani Beseder: ‘I am OK’ (I am ‘in order’)

 כל בסדר – Kol Beseder: ‘Everything is OK’ (literally everything is in order’)

מצה Freedom and Oppression, two sides of the same matzah?

We are all familiar with the idea of matzah being the bread of liberation and freedom, the food that the Israelites ate as they left Egypt in a hurry, not having time to allow their bread to rise. In the Haggadah, matzah is also called the bread of poverty – Lechem Oni. It was the food of slavery, cheap and filling, and like the Israelites, squashed flat by oppression. This idea is alluded to in the song found in the Haggadah called Ha Lachma, ‘This bread’, which concludes with the line ‘This year we are still slaves, next year, free people.’

So what are we to make of all this?

How can matzah be both a bread of freedom and a bread of oppression? And how are we still slaves today?

With an estimated 27 million people still enslaved in the world today, what does this mean for the freedom we enjoy?

Matzah is flat, symbolising humility. Regular bread that rises and swells symbolises arrogance. On Pesach, we remove all Chametz (leavened bread and grain products) from our homes, symbolising our desire to remove arrogance and egotism. By eating matzah, we express our desire to return to a state of humility.

Pesach on the Internet

מה נשתנה הלילה הזה ”Ma Nishtana ha layla hazeh” – “Why is this night different?” The סדר  פסח Pesach Seder is designed to be an engaging and interactive experience.

The following websites contain many ideas and insights that may bring freshness to your Pesach סדר Seder this year.

New Australia Haggadah: Stand Up www.haggadah.com.au   

Seder and Haggadah additional readings and supplements http://seder.today

Social Justice additional readings and supplements – NIF  www.theotherhaggadah.org

Shalom Hartman Institute Pesach Articles and Seder Resources.

https://hartman.org.il/SHINews_View.asp?Article_Id=85

https://shi-webfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/Article_NoamZion_2014_SederActivities.pdf

Chabad Pesach Resource www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/default_cdo/jewish/Passover.htm

Jacob Richman’s Hot Site: great links to Pesach websites: www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdaypa.htm 

My Jewish Learning: Comprehensive overview and exploration www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover.shtml 

NSW Kashrut Authority Pesach Guide www.ka.org.au/ 

Tablet: Online magazine of Jewish news, ideas and culture: www.tabletmag.com/holidays

Greatist: 34 Heathy and Delicious Passover Recipes: www.cyber-kitchen.com/holidays/passover/foodlinks.htm 

Sephardi Pesach Customs: Detailed overview of Sephardi customs for Pesach and for how to prepare and conduct a Seder. www.angelfire.com/pa2/passover/sephardicpassovercustoms.html 

Pesach songs: transliterated and translated. www.hebrewsongs.com/pesach.htm 

Eliezer Segal’s Virtual Haggadah for Children www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Uncle_Eli/Eli.html 

Asylum Seekers Centre

Tasha Lapidge – Year 10

Our Visit to Newtown’s Asylum Seekers Centre

Last Wednesday together with fellow Year 10 students, Lenny Levy Vainer, Esther Reznikov and Eve Lemberg we went to the Asylum Seeker Centre in Newtown, with Rabbi Siegel. Esther and Lenny, with several other students, had previously been there with Rabbi Siegel, but Eve and I weren’t sure what to expect.

We were greeted by Danijela, who manages the fundraising side of the Centre. We carried at least 10 boxes inside which were filled to the top with food and toiletries that were collected by our Emanuel students and families as part of fulfilling the Purim Mitsvah of Matanot Le-Evyonim – providing for those in need. After unpacking the boxes, and shelving these much needed items which would soon be distributed, Danijela took us on a tour around the Centre.

She showed us an area where the asylum seekers can stay all day. We saw a volunteer teaching a woman some new things on a computer, which is one of the many things volunteers help with. There was a great area for kids to play in and a kitchen for everyone to use.

We were introduced to some of the workers who were very appreciative of our donations. Danijela then took us into the food bank which is where the food is distributed to the asylum seekers. Each person is given roughly one bag of food and toiletries a week.

They have doctors, psychologists and many more volunteer specialists who are available to all the asylum seekers completely for free. When Lenny and Esther went last time, they helped make and serve lunch to the asylum seekers, so it was great to learn more about the Centre this time.

The asylum seekers and workers at the Centre were very grateful for all the donations that we brought. It was really eye-opening to learn about people and a program and Centre about which I previously had little knowledge. Thank you Rabbi Siegel for taking us! We hope we can go again soon with even more donations.

From the Head of Music

David Gillian – Head of Music

Deadline – Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

The due date for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue private tuition or Infants String Program for Term 2, has now passed.  All students currently receiving private music tuition and students participating in the Infant Strings Program will be automatically entered into tutor schedules for next term and committed to the full term of lessons. Parents who wish to advise us of discontinuations or new enrolments should do so urgently using the appropriate online form, which can be accessed from the links below.  If your child intends to discontinue, formal notice must be given using the online discontinuation form, otherwise parents will be liable for fees for next term.  Please contact David Gwilliam, Head of Music, by email to music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

Links to online forms  

New enrolment requests for private tuition: http://tinyurl.com/PrivateTuitionEnrolment

To discontinue private tuition for Term 2 http://tinyurl.com/PrivateTuitionDiscontinuation

To enrol into the Infant Strings Program: http://tinyurl.com/InfantStringsEnrolment

To discontinue Infant Strings Program for Term 2: http://tinyurl.com/InfantStringsDiscontinuations

Final call for Music Campers

We have had strong enrolments for our annual Emanuel School Music Camp which will take place from Monday 5 June until Thursday 8 June (Week 7) at Naamaroo, located next to Lane Cove National Park.  Our participants’ list is being finalised and a detailed information letter with a packing list will be sent out in Term 2.  

Thank you to all those parents who paid via the TryBooking website by the deadline of 24 March and have already completed our online permission note.  This has allowed us to begin the planning process.  If you are yet to complete the online permission note, this needs to be done urgently.  A printed list of all students registered for Music Camp will be displayed on the noticeboard in the music department.  Any student who is unsure as to whether they have enrolled should come and check that their name is on that list.  If you wish your child to attend but have yet to register, please let us know urgently.

Information about Music Camp, eligible ensembles and how to sign up has been published in Ma Nishma over several weeks this term and mailed directly to the parents of students in all eligible ensembles. Hard copies of the information have been displayed in the music department.

Participation in the annual Music Camp is a crucial aspect of ensemble membership, so all members of the following ensembles who are in Years 4 to 11 are expected to attend: Emanuel String Orchestra, Intermediate String Orchestra, Copland Concert Band, Bernstein Concert Band, Gershwin Concert Band, Senior Stage Band, Junior Stage Band, Senior Choir, Senior Chamber Choir, Junior Choir, Junior Chamber Choir.  Please note that ensembles at camp are not always exactly the same as ensembles at school and all camp participants are expected to perform in large ensembles.

Also, if students are interested in joining the above ensembles and would like to come to Music Camp, please contact Mr Gwilliam urgently via email dgwilliam@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

For your reference, here are the Music Camp 2017 dates for your diary:

Monday 5 June: Students arrive at Emanuel at 8.30am (for departure at 9.00am sharp).

Wednesday 7 June: Depart Naamaroo and return to school by 5.30pm to go home with parents.

Thursday 8 June: Camp continues at school from 9.30am sharp.

Thursday 8 June: Showcase Concert at 6.15pm, concluding by 7.40pm.

From the Head of Science

Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science

View from the Kleinlehrer Family Science Building

That time of year is nearly upon us again – the annual Night of Science and Wonder, affectionately known as NOSAW. The Year 10 students are frantic, nervous, excited or confident, depending on their state of readiness and their comfort with speaking in public. The teachers are apprehensive, eager and worried, depending on their perception of the state of readiness of their students, and I am just intrigued to see what this year’s crop of budding scientists will have in store for us as they present their findings in poster and oral form. If you are also interested to know how this will all turn out, please join us in the Science building on Thursday, 6 April from 4pm – 6pm to see and hear the wonders of Science that our students will present.

X03 is also a hive of activity at the moment as we race to finish our Rube Goldberg machine before vacating the room. We have a complicated carefully crafted system: a match is lit, a bucket falls onto a light switch and turns on the light, at the same time setting off a 16 step device that ultimately turns the light off again. We have spent 6 weeks of lunchtimes and the occasional recess constructing this intricate and carefully balanced device, and all the elements work…separately! At the time of writing we are yet to see the whole machine in action, but we still have hope… It has been a marvellous experience watching my team problem-solve, create, re-create, collaborate, cope with disappointment and frustration and celebrate together when things work. What a wonderful team!

More “making” has been going on in Year 9 as we teach a new version of the electricity topic Sparky. The students began by making a scribbler, a wearable and a racer – learning skills in circuit construction, use of a variety of tools including a needle and thread (not an easy task for a number of students!), problem solving and perseverance. The students will go on to learn about the theory behind their circuits and hopefully will have a chance to apply what they learn to building a sculpture, designing a game or solving some difficult real-life issues.

Constructing a racer

On your marks

The finished racer

Wearables

In other news, we have new NSW Senior Science syllabuses! The re-branded Board of Studies (now called NESA) has provided us with the updated versions, put together after much consultation from various stakeholders. They look exciting. Gone are the specific contexts, allowing much more freedom for teachers to tailor their examples to their students. In are a number of topics that have not been taught for a while, filling the gaps that had been identified in the students’ knowledge of the subjects and allowing for a greater real understanding of the concepts being taught. In as well is a depth study in each subject – a chance for the students to focus on an aspect of the course that has particularly caught their interest and spend some time investigating this in a manner of their choosing. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together in the time provided, but at this stage, at least, the new courses look set to re-invigorate the teaching of Science in the senior years. There will be a number of areas that need extra work from the teachers – topics that we have not taught for years, topics that have NEVER been part of the syllabus. Emanuel has been very generous in providing time for us to work on this and to produce excellent programs that reflect the best in Science teaching and general pedagogy. We are excited for this opportunity to further develop our teaching in our areas of expertise.

Year 7 Parent/Teacher Study Skills evening

High School Leadership and Wellbeing Program

Tina Greenhill – Head of Szenes House

Generation Next Leadership and Wellbeing program –  Livestream Event

Generation Next fills a critical gap, working towards preventing mental illness and encouraging improved management by adopting a holistic approach that focuses on key stakeholders.

This is an excerpt of their approach:

• We engage with professionals who work most closely with young people and thus are ideally positioned to have a positive impact on their mental health, providing education, interventions and resources to increase the understanding of mental illness and treatment options.

• We work with young people across Australia, providing them with skills and knowledge to increase their mental health literacy and better position them to look after their mental health and prevent the onset of mental illness.

• We inform the community, increasing awareness of mental illness in young people and how they can better support them to recovery and maintain good mental health.

• We undertake research to support our activities, ensuring that our work is underpinned by a solid evidence base.

Generation Next enables our youth to become resilient, mentally healthy and actively involved in furthering the wellbeing of our communities.

On Friday 17 March, students were given the opportunity to attend wellbeing and leadership presentations that were streamed live around NSW, which link to our Tutor Programs.

The topics that were discussed by the speakers are listed below.

Healthy Technology Use

The Year 7s and 8s enjoyed the experience of learning how to use technology positively. Given the opportunity to watch this informative broadcast, we have been informed about healthy technology use and tips for sleeping well in an engaging and positive manner about the subject matter. We also learnt how particular websites and software can help innovate and provide both children and adults with educational content, which helps pique their interest in certain fields. We would highly recommend it for both younger and older students in future.

Year 8 students Hannah Corke and Ariella Tracton

Some other responses included:

‘I learnt how to be safer online and the effects that technology can have on your everyday life.’

‘How to use technology in a healthy and motivational way.’

‘I learnt that many people use their phones before and after they wake up and that is not healthy for you.’

After watching the presentation students said:

‘I will limit the amount of time spent on technology before I go to sleep.’

‘I will start making a good online footprint.’

Consent & Healthy relationships for Teens

The topic is extremely relevant to teenagers but unfortunately the presentation was somewhat controversial; some students disagreed with the presenter’s comments, whilst others less so. Students were asked to provide feedback to Generation Next, the organisers of Livestream, as well as in an Emanuel School survey, which will assist with further planning.

Some student responses about the presentation include:

• I learnt ‘how to be more aware of this topic on a general basis.’
• I learnt ‘to be more cautious of my surroundings.’
• ‘The presentation was sexist… because 1 in 10 people believe that women who dress promiscuously are partially responsible for being sexually assaulted, we should not have to change the way we present ourselves, and dress more modestly.’

Unlocking Your Inner Genius: Resilience, Learning & Wellbeing

According to Andrew Fuller, ‘Young people are more intelligent, informed and aware than any previous generation. To capitalise on this, we can help them to develop the skills necessary to build and express their genius. These skills include concentration, planning, decision making and motivation.’

Eitan Meshel wrote:

‘I found the talk quite good, and his recommendations were well thought out and phrased. The lessons were mostly ones I had heard before, but it was interesting to understand the science behind what he said. For example, the idea of writing notes on paper hands, to make an association between our notes and our physical hand is an interesting way of viewing the ideas of making mnemonic, and works with the way our brain associates thoughts rather than in a more artificial way. His ideas on study breaks are ones I already knew, but specifically why and when they were needed I had not known, and so it was interesting to see. Furthermore, he establishes an overall system of studying, giving a more ‘complete’ view on how to study well, rather than featuring a few tips that don’t necessarily combine well together. His explanations were cohesive and clear, providing information that was insightful and understandable.’

Amy Altman wrote:

‘In what was a very rewarding experience, Year 11 and 12 were privileged enough to tune in to a live stream of ‘The System – how to do well in the senior years of school!’ by Andrew Fuller. 

Here are some of the study tips/tricks that can be incorporated into our study routines, especially in the lead up to our Half Yearly Examinations. 

• Identify your ‘down’ time where retention of information is at your lowest. Make notes during this time.
• Ideal work time is done in 20 minute bursts.
• Record and play back your work before bed.
• The highest level of learning is to teach someone else.
• Have glucose approximately 15 minutes before an examination. 
• Testing yourself increases your memory by 80%.
• To increase retention, point to what you want to remember.
• If you do 24 reps of something you will get 80% competence.
• Complete past papers under examination conditions, with no music.’ 

Tina Greenhill

Head of Szenes House

Year 10 Night of Science and Wonder

You are invited to the:

Year 10 Night of Science and Wonder

Date: Week 10 – Thursday 6 April

Time: 4pm to 6pm

Location: Kleinlehrer Family Science Building

We would love to see you there!

High School Elective History

Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 9

Last Tuesday, Years 9 and 10 Elective History and Years 11 and 12 Ancient History went to visit the Powerhouse Museum with Mr Bell and Ms Lee to see the exhibition Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives, on loan from the British Museum.

In this exhibition, it was explained to us how bodies were mummified and preserved in Ancient Egypt. I found it really interesting how mummification changed over time, as during the Greek and Roman periods certain practices were modified and adopted. For example, the Egyptians placed incredibly detailed and life-like portraits on their mummies during the period of Roman control over Egypt (30BCE-641CE).

One mummy I learnt about was Nestawedjat, a married woman from Thebes. An interesting fact about her mummification was that she had two amulets placed on her neck to protect her in the afterlife – not all mummies had this, which probably meant that she was fairly important. It’s also worth noting that Nestawedjat was thought to be a man when she was originally tested, but through a CT scan it was discovered that she was a woman based on the shape of her pelvis. Her coffin also had her “story to the afterlife” engraved in it. What I find quite fascinating though is the amount of information we can get from a mummy without actually removing the bandages. The exhibition provides us with some great insights on how modern technologies have revealed so much about the life and death of these ancient people.

Nestawedjat’s Inner Coffin

Along with the six mummies, the exhibition boasted over 200 artefacts related to all parts of ancient Egyptian life, including beautiful jewellery, bread (preserved for thousands of years), children’s toys, clothing and many interesting religious statues and items.

I found the Statue of Sekhmet particularly interesting. Sekhmet was a warrior goddess with a lion’s head. Sekhmet was also believed to be able to ward off disease. One of the reasons I found this artefact so interesting was that we know that she had some sort of relation to Ra, but it isn’t clear exactly what the connection was. Some translations say that she was the Daughter of Ra, while others say that she was the Eye of Ra. I thought the statue was really cool because of how well preserved it was and the material it was made of. I find it fascinating considering the skill and effort it must have taken to create such an intricate statue.

Overall, I really enjoyed this excursion to the Powerhouse Museum and am very grateful to Mr Bell and Ms Lee for taking our classes. It was very insightful and educational, I learnt a lot and it was thoroughly enjoyable too.

The exhibition closes on 30 April 2017, so don’t miss out on your chance to see this fascinating exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum! https://maas.museum/event/egyptian-mummies-exploring-ancient-lives/

High School Sport

Kristy Reed – Sport Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

Sydney Schools Cup

2017 has seen the introduction of the new interschool sport competition, the Sydney Schools Cup. This tournament has involved several independent schools in the area competing in a weekly tournament. Emanuel teams have also attended weekly training sessions that have focused on developing skills and improving fitness and teamwork.

This term Emanuel entered teams in both the netball and futsal competitions. The netball team which was comprised of Year 7 and Year 8 students, proved to be very competitive and significantly improved throughout the term. The futsal teams were both filled by Year 7 students, with a strong interest in this sport. Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Term 1 competition for their dedication to their chosen sport.

In Term 2 the Sydney Schools Cup will be offering a basketball competition. This will be open to Years 7 and Year 8 boys and girls and will take place on Tuesday afternoons. If your child is interested in competing in this competition please have them contact me for further information.

Rashi Times

Olyvea Akres – Year 10

Eden Sadra – Year 10

Hey Rashi, Eden and Liv here!

On Monday 20 March it was International Happiness Day so in aid of this Maya and Katie organised a super fun House Assembly for Rashi.

The International Day of Happiness was founded by the United Nations when all 193 members unanimously adopted the UN resolution. The official document states many things, one being that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal. Therefore, the day is celebrated by millions of people all over the world and this year Rashi celebrated it in an interesting way. We were told that we were participating in a session of laughing yoga and to follow the instructor on the screen. It was quite an odd experience but certainly served its purpose. Rashi was giggling throughout the entire process, which normally would not be encouraged but definitely was in this case. Thanks to Maya and Katie for integrating International Happiness Day into our assembly, we all had a ball!

Congratulations to the Rashi students who received awards for their CDSSA sporting achievements in this week’s assembly.

CDSSA Touch Football Representatives

• Amy Altman

CDSSA Swimming Representatives

• Dylan Christie
• Dylan Herdan
• Mia Shapiro
• Jared Elbourne (CDSSA Age Champion)
• Amy Altman

In aid of International Happiness Day last week here is a little quote to finish off your week…

Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is.

That’s it from us this week, have a great weekend.

Liv and Eden signing off.

High School EActive

Kristy Reed – Sports Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

High School EActive

Term 1 proved to be a busy and exciting term for the EActive program, with a large number of students involved in the program. The Term 2 program commences on Monday 1 May and concludes on Friday 23 June.

Bookings for Term 2 are now open and there are still places in most of the options. Places are filling quickly so it is important that registrations are completed at www.trybooking.com/FNNJ

Activities offered in Term 2 include:

• 14 Boys Basketball Training & Competition
• 16 Boys Basketball Training & Competition
• Open Boys Basketball Training & Competition
• Girls Netball Competition
• Girls Fitness
• Boys Fitness
• Rugby Development Program
• Swim Squad Training
• Gymnastics
• Tennis
• Year 7/8 Boys and Girls Basketball Development Squad
• Pilates
• Indoor Trampolining at Skyzone
• Running Group
• Crossfit NEW!
• Hip Hop Dancing NEW!

 If you have any questions please email me on: kreed@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Rabin Bugle

Shabbat Shalom

Time has flown by and we hope everyone is making the most of the last couple of weeks of this busy but very rewarding term. Try to be patient and effective and don’t forget that we have two weeks of holidays, just around the corner!

Martin Rembson – Head of Rabin House

From the Head of House

It has been a pleasure to serve as Head of Rabin over the last four years and to have been with Emanuel School, as a teacher for close to a decade. Working at Emanuel School and taking on the role as Head of House has been a privilege and an experience that I value dearly. It has been rewarding to assist and encourage the Rabin family to make the most of their journey through High School. I have enjoyed working with a wonderful team of dedicated Tutors and our Executive to help each student grow and achieve their personal goals.

I will be on leave from next term to the end of the year and my partner and I look forward to spend time with our families overseas. This is a privilege and I thank our principal Mrs Hastings and the Board for granting the leave and giving us the possibility to make the most of this opportunity. I will miss our House spirit and being a part of this great community but I will follow Rabin House’s adventures and successes from a distance while overseas, and I look forward to coming back at the start of the next year.

Adam Ezekiel, will be acting Head of House for Rabin in Terms 2, 3 and 4 and we have throughout this term worked closely together to ensure an effective handover process. Mr Ezekiel’s contact details are:

Phone (02) 9398 8388 – Extension 338. Email: aezekiel@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

House Assemblies

Ronan Collins – Year 12

Rabin House Assemblies have over the last two weeks had an artistic flair and we have all enjoyed the creative challenges. Ronan Collins, our Art Madrich, has together with our House Captains and Mr Rembson organised a series of artistic challenges. Everyone had fun learning how to draw cartoon faces in five quick steps and the theatre, with its cinema-sized interactive screen, is an amazing venue to host these team building and learning opportunities. The Pictionary team challenge was another highlight and we especially commend Eitan Vaknin, Adam Riesel and Gabriela Amoils who showed artistic talent and thought quickly on their feet to win the challenge.

Rabin House commends the Intermediate Jazz Ensemble B who gave a beautiful performance in the whole School Assembly this week. Several members of this ensemble are Rabin students and we congratulate Samara Trenaman, Lachlan Corne, Talia Sinani and Adam Cranko on their fine performance.

Sport Achievements

Rabin House has over the last couple of weeks had several students who have achieved sporting success. We commend the students on their commitment and congratulate them on their fine results!

Rabin Students – Touch football grand final winners

• Tia Mallinick
• Sienna Meyer
• Ashlee Orleow
• Chelsea Rutstein
• Lara Rutstein
• Sarah Sharwood
• Danielle Rutstein. Danielle was presented with the Best and Fairest Player of the tournament award and she will represent Emanuel School at CDSSA Touch Football Representatives.

Danielle Rutstein recently competed in the Regional Athletics Championships. In the long jump event she came second and third in high jump. She also competed in the Australian Athletics Championship coming seventh in the high jump.

Rabin Students – CDSSA swimming representatives

• Jordan Behr
• Jade Berson
• Gabriella Goodridge, who set a new 50m butterfly CDSSA record!
• Jack Smagarinsky
• Daniel Van Sluys Erlich

Rabin Students – Cross Country Age Champions

• Hunter Weinberg – 13 Year Girls
• Samara Trenaman – 14 Year Girls
• Gabriella Goodridge – 14 Year Girls

That’s the Bugle this week. Make the most of the last week of term and enjoy the holidays!

World’s Greatest Shave

Participating in The World’s Greatest Shave was such a rewarding experience. I am glad to say our team has collectively raised $5,000 dollars that will all be going towards helping families and furthering blood cancer research. I would highly recommend joining in next year for anyone interested.

Natasha Gering – Year 10

Cleo Woolf and Natasha Gering Year 10 with Zac Levenson, Year 8

Kyah Laishevsky – Year 8

Maria Tirabosco Library Relocation

Karen McAndrew – Teacher Librarian

High School Library relocation

The Maria Tirabosco Library will be relocating to the top floor of the Brender Moss building next term. To facilitate the move, the High School library will be closed from 5pm Wednesday 5 April until the end of Term 1.

Can we still access library resources when the building shuts next week?

Our website offers access to digital resources such as databases, encyclopedias, newspapers and magazines, reading suggestions for Years 7-12, research tips and more. For more details go to http://libguides.emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au/hsl

 Can we still borrow for the holidays?

YES, but plan early because we close at 5pm on Wednesday 5 April.

Will Open Time and after school Homework Club still be available in Week 10?

• Tuesday Open Time – YES
• Wednesday Homework Club – YES
• Thursday Homework Club – NO

From the Primary School

Emma Clemens, Deputy Head of Primary and Natanya Milner, Head of Primary

Anti-Bullying Day

Friday 17 March was the seventh National Day of Action Against Bullying and violence. In the Primary School we celebrated Anti-Bullying Day on Friday 12 March as Year 5 and 6 were on camp the previous week. This annual day encourages all students to stand together against bullying and violence within schools and beyond. More than 1810 schools from across Australia took part in the event this year. It is so exciting that so many students have united together to communicate the powerful message that bullying and violence is never okay.

Bullying is the ongoing misuse of power in a relationship. This can be displayed verbally, physically or socially and can cause physical or psychological harm. Bullying can happen in person or online (cyberbullying). Conflict between two individuals where the balance of power is equal is not defined as bullying. However, it is still important that all conflicts between students are addressed and resolved. 

1. Explicit Teaching

Teachers all spent time with their students explicitly teaching about bullying and how students can take action. A number of video resources were used to assist with delivering the lesson content. Students then applied their learning by creating posters, mindmaps and comic strips to consolidate the key ideas. Some of the fundamental concepts included:

1. Be a buddy, not a bully (Be A Buddy Video and What Is Bullying Video)
2. Your words can make a positive or negative impact (The Meanest Girl Video)
3. Stop, walk, talk: Ask the bully to stop, walk away, talk to a teacher (Stop Walk Talk Video)
4. Build a friendship army to support you (Four Step Approach Video)

2. Assemblies

The Year 6 Madrichim took an active role in promoting Anti-Bullying Day across the school. This student-led initiative was incredibly powerful in conveying a proactive anti-bullying message from within the student body. The Madrichim planned an assembly for Years K-2 and Years 3-6. Both assemblies included a game show, videos created by Years 3-6 students and a performance of Hopeful by the Madrichim. The videos presented in the assembly were the winners of the Anti-Bullying Day Short Film Competition. We had over 70 students enter the competition. The winners were:

• First Place: Jesse Barel
• Second Place: Zarah Gorelik and Isaac Gorelik
• Third Place: Daniel Zipser and Gabriel Pozniak

We thank the Madrichim for their creativity, hard work and commitment. They did a fantastic job!

Debating

Mazal tov to our Year 5 and 6 debating teams who debated at Moriah last Thursday. The topic was ‘All Australian Households Should Compost’. We had one team who was affirmative against George’s River Grammar and another team who debated the negative side against Inaburra. Both teams won their debates! Thank you to Lauren Wigan and Nehama Werner as well as all of our enthusiastic debaters for their fantastic efforts!

Futsal

This week we entered five teams into the Regional Futsal Schools Cup. Please see the sports report for full details. We would like to thank the children for their wonderful representation of Emanuel and for their fantastic results on the day. Our senior girls’ team made the semi-finals and our senior boys made it through to the grand final. Mazal tov to all of the children involved. We would like to thank Adam Ezekiel and Stuart Taylor for organising our participation in this event.

Years 1-2 Swimming Carnival

This Friday Years 1-2 students attended their swimming carnival at Des Renford Leisure Centre. The students participated in a range of swimming 25m races including freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke. There was also a number of races across the pool including kickboard, dog paddle, duck diving and cork scramble. It was lovely to have parents involved in the parent-student races and relays. The Year 6 House Captains did a wonderful job running the events and supporting the younger students. Thank you to Stuart Taylor and Sharon Fairfax for planning and facilitating such a fantastic carnival and a big thank you to Ofer Levy for taking so many beautiful photos.

Parent Teacher Nights

Thank you to those of you who came and met with the teachers this week at the Parent Teacher Nights on Monday and Wednesday. We value the opportunity to partner with our parents and share our insights into the children’s learning journeys. Thank you to Garry Case, Helen Maynard and Shelly Ezekiel for their efforts in organising the nights.

Upcoming Dates

• 3 April: Y6 Seder (students only)
• 4 April: Y5 Seder 8:50am Millie Phillips Theatre, Y3 Seder 11:10am Angles Leadership and Learning Centre, Y4 Seder 2:00pm Y4 classrooms
• 5 April: Y2 Seder 8:50am Angles Leadership and Learning Centre
• 5 April: Y6 Gratitude Day
• 6 April: YK Seder 9:30am Angles Leadership and Learning Centre, Y1 Seder 2:00pm Angles Leadership and Learning Centre
• 6 April: Y3-6 Cross Country, 10:00am-1:00pm Queens Park
• 7 April: 2Y Mrs Esra Assembly Item, 2:00pm Millie Phillips Theatre
• 7 April: Last Day Term 1
• 27 April: First Day Term 2, Primary Lice Check
• 1 May: Y3-6 Yom HaZikaron
• 2 May: YK-6 Yom HaAtzmaut Celebrations
• 4 May: YK for 2018 Showcase, 8:45-9:45am Angles Leadership and Learning Centre
• 4 May: Y5 for 2018 Information Night, 7:00-8:30pm Millie Phillips Theatre
• 5 May: Monash Commemorative Service – House Captains attending, 11:00-12:25pm St Catherine’s School
• 9 May-11 May: Y3 and Y5 NAPLAN

Term 2 K-2 Assembly 2:00-2:50pm Millie Phillips Theatre

• 5 May (Week 2): EActive Dance Group
• 19 May (Week 4): Y2 Hebrew
• 2 June (Week 6): Shavuot, school closed
• 16 June (Week 8): 2T Mrs Strub
• 30 June (Week 10): Music Assembly

Year 5 Showcase

Primary Sport

Adam Ezekiel – PDHPE Teacher

Primary Futsal Gala Day

Emanuel was represented by five teams at the Regional Futsal Schools Cup on Tuesday. All students are congratulated on a fantastic day of competitive Futsal against a variety of Schools. A special mention goes to the two teams below:

• Senior Boys – Finished fist in their Pool, won their semi-final and only narrowly lost the grand final 3-1 to Moriah in an extremely close contest.
• Senior Girls – Won three of their five pool matches and lost a close contest in the semi-final to Clovelly Public School.

 

Primary EActive Term 2

All information about Term 2 EActive activities can now be found through the ‘Extra-Curricular’ tab in the Parent Portal, or alternatively you can visit the booking website directly at www.trybooking.com/FQMS. 

Primary Extra-Curricular Clubs – Term 2

Careers

Dr Judith Lacey

Medicine

Last week we were very lucky to have a parent from our community and alum who came to speak to our Year 11s and 12s. Dr Judith Lacey who specialises in Palliative Care and also Naomi Sirmai (Class of 2014) kindly gave up their time to our students. Each spoke about their own worlds in Medicine and gave a highly informative talk to our students. Naomi spoke about the admissions process to UNSW Undergraduate Medicine, the UMAT, the interview process and how she is currently finding her course. Dr Lacey spoke about her interest in Palliative Care and Oncology, and the varied and multi-dimensional, teamwork approach she is part of in her current role. Our students were lucky to hear from two very passionate and committed workers in the medical field, and both Year 11s and 12s would have learned a lot from their talks. We were very thankful to have them share their experiences with our students.

University of Sydney Visit

Last week we had our first University guest speakers present to our students about studying at the University of Sydney. They talked about the newly structured Undergraduate Experience starting in 2018. As mentioned in one of my previous articles this will allow students to choose a much broader range of majors, for example students can study Science but choose another Major in Arts by doing a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Advanced Studies, making the Sydney University Graduate a broader more well-rounded student.  Two students currently studying Medical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering shared their experiences about studying at the University of Sydney, and reasons for choosing the oldest University in the country.

University Rankings

As our universities are now coming out to visit us, and I am speaking to a lot of Year 12s about the merits of different universities, this site will be very helpful. It covers all of the world Universities (all 22,000+ of them) and it also covers lots of different rankings (looking at student satisfaction, research publications, academic reputation, employer reputations, citations per faculty and international students.). I like it because you can search per geographical area in the world and drill down to a country level, but also you can go by Subject Department and so find out what is the best Department for Law for example in Australia, or the US. It is worth noting that whilst University ranks can be considered, they should be in conjunction with a lot of other factors e.g. suitability of the course, suitability of the institution, transport/logistic factors, scholarship/exchange opportunities and so on.

www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2016

Notices

Pre-Apprenticeship Course Finder

This site can help you find a pre-apprenticeship course in your area of interest. You can search by location.

www.aapathways.com.au/Search/Preapprenticeships/Courses-by-State-and-Territory

Careers in the Graphic Design Industry

This website focuses on the range of careers in the Sign and Graphic Design Industry. It includes a list of available apprenticeships by state, career guidance, & more detail about the Sign and Graphic Design Industry. http://www.signcareers.com.au

UNSW – Year 10 Information Evenings

The student selection process will commence during Term 2 and Mr Majsay will be co-ordinating discussions with students. But as UNSW always books up early, students keen to hear about subject selections from another source can book into the following sessions. Students and parents can attend the UNSW Year 10 parent information nights. The dates on offer are:

Wednesday, 10 May – 6.30pm

Tuesday, 23 May – 6.30pm

Thursday, 25 May – 6.30pm

Wednesday, 31 May – 6.30pm

As a Network School, our students will have priority registration from 20 March to 1 April, when it will then open to the public. To access the registration page, visit bit.ly/year10nights17 and use the access password Network2017. 

Connecting our Community

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS – GESHER

Amazing musical talent and sunshine galore

We couldn’t have asked for better weather.

Children, parents and grandparents came to School last Sunday afternoon armed with picnic rugs and chairs, to sit on The Hill and listen to the talents of so many musicians in our School community – student, staff and alumni jazz ensembles entertained the audience for a three full hours – such delight!  Vocalist Genevieve Goldman (Year 11) accompanied by mum Michelle on keyboard and dad David on guitar was the opening act and oh boy, did she wow the audience! 

There are so many people to thank for all their efforts in making Jazz on the Hill 2017 such a fabulous event:

• David Gwilliam, Head of Music and ALL the musicians – student ensembles, staff jazz band and 33 Degrees

• Teachers, administration and maintenance staff and student volunteers who helped set-up, man and supervise the many activities provided for primary-aged students, including Lego Robotics, Dodge ball, cartooning workshop, “Puppetoon” – a puppet show, a Science extravaganza show and Razzle Dazzle arts & craft.

• Our Year 11 Hospitality students who, together with Lara Ephron, Head of D&T and Claudia Bloom, prepared and sold some of the yummiest food!

 L to R: Georgia Linetsky, Daniella Gold, Madeleine Weinstein, Kiara Rosen-Tal, Gal Cohen Kvatinsky, Lara Ephron, Amber Sawicki, Liron Smith, Shai Stern and Romy Berson

If you need a barista for an event, please consider alumnus Justin Moddel (Class of 2001) – Mugg Shot Coffee.  Thank you Justin for being our barista extraordinaire for the afternoon.

BREAKFAST WITH EMANUEL

Join us for breakfast and a chat in either Bondi Junction or the City.

Please choose one of these two sessions:

WEDNESDAY 17 MAY – 7.30am to 9am

The Little Space

3/384 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction (cnr Newland St)

Please note, this venue is on Level 3, with NO lift.

 WEDNESDAY 24 MAY  – 7.30am to 9am

PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC)*
One International Towers Sydney 
Watermans Quay, Barangaroo 

The program will feature:

• Kim Slender, School Counsellor – mindfulness and its benefits for young people and adults
• Margaret Lowe, Deputy Principal – the Wellbeing programs in the High School
• Max Woolf and Yael Grunseit, High School Head Madrichim – what they have gained and learnt from Emanuel
• Anne Hastings, Principal – a brief introduction re the new building.

If you have news to share, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

This week the Pre-school has been a hive of activity as we have immersed ourselves in the wonderful festival of Pesach, with all its traditions, history and stories. We tell the story of Pesach using animation, song, music, props and costumes and invite the children to take on roles in the story. Re-enacting the story in this way helps to bring it to life and allows the children time to process the details and make sense of it. We have participated in lots of cooking experiences this week. From matzah pizzas to matzah pancakes to making matzah in the matzah factory. The children have loved these interactive experiences and enjoyed all the tasting too.

We have been making our own Seder plates, drawing visual representations of wild animals and frogs and making baby Moses in the basket out of clay.

The children are enjoying learning and singing all the songs from the Pesach story. We hope they will be active participants in your Seders at home.

Centennial Park Visits

Next term our visits to Centennial Park will start in Weeks 2 and 3 for the Dolphins and Starfish groups. We are planning on walking the children to the park and back, once every three weeks and therefore will require parent support to help us do this. The Seashells will start their visits in Term 3, once we see they are ready to cope with the walk down and back. The Pre-school has purchased a classroom set of waterproof pants and tops for the children, so all they will need are gumboots on a rainy day and sneakers in warmer days. If the weather is bad (strong winds and torrential rain) on the day we will make an informed decision whether to cancel the excursion.

The Bush School approach does not stand alone from early childhood education and care. The Belonging, Being and Becoming: Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) recognises the importance of the outdoor environment in the development of young children. The Early Years Bush Connections concept is informed by other successful outdoor learning practices from well-researched and established international examples such as Forest Schools, Wilderness Awareness schools, Wild Play schemes and Nature Kindergartens.

We believe Bush School has many advantages for the children, especially in today’s hurried society, where the children do not get enough uninterrupted time to just play and be in nature for extended periods of time.

Some advantages of Bush School are:

• Open-ended resources in visually simple spaces – giving children the opportunity to be creative, to observe, to be inspired and to problem solve in an open-ended natural environment.
• Risk-full learning – the development of a risk adverse society is creating what Tim Gill calls the “shrinking horizons of childhood” where the independence and freedom of childhood have been curtailed.
• Eco-friendly and sustainable living – do we want the earth to still be beautiful in 60 year’s time for our children? We need to encourage an ecological awareness in the children from a young age. Real materials are far more sustainable and encourage the children to use their imagination more than materials that are prescribed.
• Physicality – children need to be more active. Movement is critical to each child’s health and wellbeing. The physical aspects of their development are promoted through running, climbing trees, and physically being in wide open spaces with a canopy of trees for a roof.
• Children who play regularly in natural environments show more advanced motor fitness, including co-ordination, stamina, balance and agility, and they are sick less often.
• When children play in natural environments, their play is more diverse with imaginative and creative play that fosters language and collaborative skills.
• Exposure to natural environments improves cognitive development by improving their awareness, reasoning and observational skills.
• Spending time in nature has shown to reduce stress. Nature buffers the impact of life’s stresses on children and helps them deal with adversity. The greater amount of nature exposure, the greater the benefits.
• An affinity to and love of nature, along with positive environmental ethic, grow out of regular contact with and play in the natural world during early childhood.
• Early experiences with the natural world have been positively linked with the development of imagination and the sense of wonder. Wonder is an important motivator for lifelong learning.
• Motivation, concentration and problem solving skills are developed through exploratory play.
• Children who play in nature have more positive feelings about each other. The development of self-confidence and self-belief comes from children having freedom, time and space to learn, grow and demonstrate their independence.
• Natural environments stimulate social interaction between children. It fosters an increased awareness of others and our actions on them, as well as encourages sharing and co-operative play.
• Language and communication development is fostered by being in the outdoors. This is prompted by visual and other sensory experiences of participating in a bush school program.

Back to Pre-school Visit

On Friday, we held our back to Pre-school visit for all our lovely children from last year who have moved onto Year K. The children are always so excited to come back to Pre-school to see their teachers and friends in other groups. They are also eager to share with us what they have been learning at big school and they enjoy singing some familiar songs from last year and having a play in the garden.

The connections that we form with the children are deep and strong and stay with us all for many years. It’s a joy to us and very rewarding when we see children walking through Emanuel School and stopping to greet us and to tell us what they are up to.

From the Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit – Co P&F Presidents

Hi Everyone,

We hope you’ve all had a good term! We can’t believe we’re entering into the final week.

 

We know there has been a bombardment of information/emails/etc and we apologise for our part in that but there is so much important information we need to get through to you.

 

We hope you take the time to read the following and enjoy your last week of term.

 

Pesach Sederim – Volunteers

 

We still need volunteers for the following Sederim:

 

Year K set up: 7.45-8.45am in the LLC on 6 April 

Year K clean up: 10.50-11.35am in the LLC on 6 April 
Year 1 clean up: 3.30-4pm in the LLC on 6 April 

Year 2 set up: 7.15-8.15am in the LLC on 5 April 

Year 4 set up: 12.30-1.30pm in the Year 4 Classrooms on 4 April  

Year 5 set up: 7.15-8.15am in the Theatre on 4 April 

 

Please send us an email to let us know you can assist: rubykb@gmail.com

 

Mums at the Movies

We have a new event in Term 2!

 

On Thursday, May 25 in the Millie Phillips Theatre we will be holding our first Mums at the Movies night! We will be screening “Dirty Dancing.” 

 

In addition, we are selling raffle tickets online (available for purchase whether you attend the event or not) for an exquisite Fine Jewels Gold Drop Diamond Necklace by Claudia White (retailing for $2250).

 

There is limited seating (200 seats) and there will be a drink and popcorn bar as well as seat prizes. It is sure to be a really fun night!

 

Prices: $20 movie ticket entry; $20 per raffle ticket for the necklace.

 

Bookings can be made by following the link: https://www.trybooking.com/PGJR

Emanuel School is raising funds. Here’s how you can help

We are raising as much as we can to support our cause and we need your help. Order your NEW 2017 Entertainment Book or Entertainment Digital Membership. You’ll receive hundreds of valuable offers for everything you love to do, and help our fundraising at the same time.

Mums at the Movies

Challah Orders

Emanuel Midford Uniform Shop